Harvard Online Policies and Information

Learn more about our course policies, accommodations, and discounts.

Learning Requirements


Course Platform Certificate Programs

Participants are expected to complete all work on the course platform in English in a thoughtful and timely manner. For most programs, this will mean meeting each week’s deadline to complete a module and fully answering the questions posed therein. This helps ensure that your cohort proceeds through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. A module is composed of a series of elements, such as faculty videos, simulations, reflections, and quizzes, designed to impart the learnings of the program. 

In addition to completing modules and assignments, learners are expected to participate in the social learning elements of the program by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the program requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the program.
 

Program Evaluation

Your mastery of program materials will be assessed based on your coursework and the quality and extent of your participation. All coursework must be completed in English.

More detailed information on individual program requirements will be communicated at the start of the program. No grades are assigned for course platform certificate programs. Participants will be evaluated as either complete or not complete.
 

Disability Accommodations

Harvard Online welcomes participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a person is considered to have a disability if that individual (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.
 

Accommodations are adjustments and modifications that provide participants with disabilities equal access to courses and programs. However, accommodations do not guarantee an outcome or a level of achievement. Accommodations also do not apply to non-disability related circumstances such as work conflicts, vacations, or family commitments.

Participants are responsible for disclosing the need for accommodations in each course by completing an Online Accommodation Request Form as early as possible. Individualized accommodations are then determined through a collaborative process that takes into account self-reports, available supporting documentation, and academic requirements of the specific course. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This request process applies only to Harvard Online course offerings. If you have any questions about the accommodations process, please contact harvardonline_accommodations@harvard.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: Early and active communication is required, as late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request.

The Harvard Online Accommodations team will review any relevant supporting documentation. However, the documentation must be in English or include a notarized English translation. Please also remove any social security numbers or other unrelated sensitive information.

The following are general documentation guidelines, for your reference:

  • Documentation presents a clear assessment of the disability or condition by a licensed provider with firsthand knowledge and relevant credentials.
  • Documentation is signed and on letterhead from the licensed treatment provider. Please note that forms and templates from other institutions may require supplemental information.
  • Documentation is current, preferably within three years. (The age of the documentation may also depend on the nature of the disability and the specific accommodation requested.)
  • Documentation provides a statement of the functional impact and limitations of the disability or condition on major life activities. When applicable, it also outlines a prognosis of the symptoms over time and in context.
  • Documentation lists recommended accommodations with an explanation of the relevance of each to the diagnosed disability or condition.
     

Changing Your Program Status

We understand that your plans to join a Harvard Online program may change. Depending on your program, we offer the opportunity to shift your admission, defer your enrollment, or withdraw from our offerings. Some additional policies apply if you are company sponsored, so please review those details if they apply to you.

For Learners in a Corporate Training Program

You may not defer or receive a refund if you are a company-sponsored participant enrolled in a program through your employer. If you wish to withdraw, please contact the appropriate representative at your company and they will inform Harvard Online. These restrictions do not apply if you have completed an application, paid for the program yourself, and plan to request employer reimbursement—in this case you are still eligible for deferrals and refunds.

 

For Learners in Harvard Online Certificate Programs
 

After admission to a Harvard Online program but before enrollment (payment has been completed), you may opt to shift your admission to a later program through the “My Dashboard” page. If the enrollment deadline for your program has passed and your application has expired, you will need to submit a new application to be considered for a future cohort.

Once you have enrolled and paid for a program, you may request a deferral of your enrollment through the “My Dashboard” page. You may defer your enrollment to a later offering of the same program, subject to the following policies.

  • You may request an enrollment deferral at any time before your program starts, and up to one week after the start of your program. Note that you will need to start the program over after deferring; no work that you have completed will transfer to the later offering.
  • You must defer to one of the next open offerings of the program in which you are enrolled. A list of upcoming offerings may be found on the program’s page on our website.
  • You may only defer once. If you have previously deferred, you will not be eligible for an additional deferral or a refund. For this reason, please consider requesting a refund if your program has not started and you are uncertain about joining a later offering.
     

After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund up to 24 hours after the start of your program. Please note this is 24 hours after the course materials become available, not after you log in. We encourage you to log in to your program as soon as it starts, to confirm it will be a good fit for your learning needs. To request a withdrawal with refund, log in to your account and select “Change Program Status” for the relevant program.

After you have requested your withdrawal with refund, we will return funds to the payment method used during enrollment, minus a $100 non-refundable administrative fee.

Please be advised that if the original payment was by Western Union, refunds will be paid by check and mailed via the United States Postal Service (USPS).

You may request a withdrawal without refund if you have completed less than half of your program. Withdrawing will allow you to re-apply and enroll in the program at a later time.
 

Policy Exceptions

We understand that unexpected life events happen. Harvard Online may make exceptions to our deadline, deferral, enrollment, and withdrawal policies on a case-by-case basis.

Extreme life circumstances include, but are not limited to:

  • Unexpected medical situation for you or a dependent
  • Death of a family member
  • Natural disaster or other large-scale event

Early and active communication is essential to help us support you during your life event. We expect you to make every reasonable effort to reach out to us within two weeks of your life event. Regardless of circumstances, no requests submitted more than 60 days from the final deadline of your course will be considered. We encourage you to continue your coursework while any exception request is under review, to the extent that you can do so.

Participants who are currently enrolled in a course and wish to submit an exception request or appeal may refer to the relevant reference pages about exceptions for additional information.

When communicating with Harvard Online, please understand that due to the nature of online learning, there may be some delays in our response times. If you ever find yourself in distress or a personal emergency requiring immediate assistance, reach out to local resources or emergency responders in your area.
 

Participant Discount

Participants who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online program, from the list below, are eligible to receive a 30% Past Participant Discount on each subsequent qualifying Harvard Online program enrollment, regardless of completion or certificate status in the first purchased program. The discount is NOT valid for the first purchased program. Participants become eligible for the discount after the withdrawal deadline passes (24 hours after the start of a program*) for their first purchased program. Discounts are automatically applied to the Program Fee at time of payment.

Please note that discounts are not available after you have submitted payment. We encourage you to review this discount policy in detail before making any payments to ensure that you take full advantage of eligible discounts.

At this time, the Past Participant Discount of 30% off the Program Fee is only available for the programs listed below. Offer terms are subject to change, and any changes will have immediate and retroactive effect.

  • Big Data for Social Good
  • Data Science for Business
  • Data Science Principles
  • Data Privacy and Technology
  • Digital Health
  • Financial Analysis and Valuation for Lawyers
  • Health Care Economics
  • Health Care Strategy
  • Innovations for Teamwork in Health Care
  • Open Innovation
  • Outsmarting Implicit Bias
  • Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care
  • Strategy Execution for Public Leadership

This discount may not be combined with other scholarships, financial aid, or other offers.

Only one discount may be used per order.
Participants deferring from discount-eligible cohorts to non-eligible cohorts will not retain the discount. Deferrals are subject to the standard program policies.

You may not redeem this discount for cash, and the discount may not be transferred or sold. The discount is void where prohibited by law.

These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

*Please note, this is 24 hours after the program materials become available, not after you log in.
 

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